Once a genius, always a genius
by Rebekka-Chan7
Summary: A loss of a best friend can change a human...
1. Prologue

"Ne, Shikamaru..." Chouji said. "Hm?" Shikamaru answered. "I was thinking... If we ever would quit being a shinobi, what would we be?". Shikamaru frowned. "Where's that suddenly coming from?" he said. "Just wondering..." Chouji answered. Shikamaru shrugged. It was quiet for a while. Suddenly, Chouji broke the silence: "I think you would be a proffessor or something like that... Oi, I would like to be a barbecue meat tester!". Shikamaru laughed softly. "You're just saying that to remind me that we are having dinner at a barbecue restaurant tonight, don't you?". "True, but I ám really wondering what we would be." Chouji said while he grabbed another hand of crisps out of the bag. "Hm... Like I would forget our dinner. By the way, who says I'm smart enough to be a proffessor by then?" Shikamaru asked. "I do. Once a genius, always a genius." Chouji said. "But I've gotta go, pick up some herbs in the forest. See you tonight, bye!" he continued. "Bye..." Shikamaru muttered whil Chouji left. Shikamaru didn't knew it was the last time they would see each other alive.

* * *

Authors note:

Done! I know it's quite short, but it's a sort of a prologue. Thank you for reading, reviews will be readen&appreciated


	2. A bad surprise

_There I am again! Actually, my summer break is just over, so I'm at school again… It's my last year, so I'm pretty nervous already. I know the prologue was pretty bad, so I'll try to do better, ok? Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto._

* * *

Shikamaru sighed. It was a 6.45 pm; Chouji could be here any minute. They had said they would meet in front of the restaurant at 7 o'clock, and normally Chouji would be waiting at least ten minutes before Shikamaru would arrive at the exact time. This time, however, Shikamaru was the first one to appear. He defeated Asuma-sensei at shougi faster than usual. 'This day feels a little bit unusual…' Shikamaru thought. He sighed. "How troublesome…" he muttered.

At ten past seven Shikamaru became worried. Being late for dinner at the barbeque restaurant was not like Chouji. After five minutes, Shikamaru decided to go to Chouji's house to look if he was there.

"I haven't seen Chouji after he left to pick up some herbs." Chouza said. Shikamaru frowned. They were both quite worried. "Maybe Chouji fell asleep while he was walking in the woods." Chouza suggested. "Yeah…" Shikamaru answered. But they both knew that that was nothing like Chouji and therefore couldn't be true. "Well, I will search for him in the woods then." Shikamaru decided. "Okay, see you later!" Chouza said and waved while Shikamaru walked away.

"Chouji!" Shikamaru shouted. Normally he would never raise his voice but now was an exception. Shikamaru became more worried while time passed. He had been searchin for almost an hour now. The sky was getting dark. Suddenly, he saw two dark silhouettes. However, Shikamaru didn't felt relief. The silhouettes weren't moving. Shikamaru came closer. The first one of the silhouettes he could see was a dead Hanabi. From what Shikamaru could see she was killed by one neat stab in the heart. Though he didn't know her well, Shikamaru still couldn't help but curse the fate of a shinobi. After a deep breath, he strode further. When he recognised the silhouette his breath got stuck in his throat. There, on the ground, he saw Chouji's body. His head however, was lying a few inches away. There was no doubt about it. Chouji was dead.

'Maybe I should bring him to Chouza.' Shikamaru thought. But it was hopeless. He couldn't move anymore. He couldn't get his eyes of his dead friend. Then, Shikamaru did something he hadn't done in ages. He cried.

* * *

_Just to explain, this all happens just before Naruto returns with Jiraiya, so Asuma isn't dead (so Sasori, Chiyo and other people I'm too lazy to mention aren't either). I'll try to make the next chapter longer. Thanks for reading!_


	3. To mourn

_Third chapter's up, I hope you like it. Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto_

* * *

The sky was filled with dark clouds and the rain was so heavy that if you would stand in it longer than five minutes, you would be completely soaked till the bone. It perfectly described Shikamaru's mood while he attended the funeral of his best friend. The funeral was not only hold for Chouji, but also for Hyuuga Hanabi. Most people were already gone since the ceremonial part was long over and they didn't want to stand in the rain any longer. Shikamaru could care less. Beside him stood Asuma and Ino, both had sad looks plastered on their faces. Ino sobbed softly, while Asuma could only stare at the gravestone. After a while, Asuma cleared his throat. "I think it's better if we go inside now…" he said. Shikamaru nodded. "No, I don't want to!" Ino said. She started to cry louder. "Ino, I really think Chouji wouldn't want you to get a cold." Shikamaru reassured. "Okay…" she said. They walked inside. Shikamaru took one look back and sighed. He didn't want to get inside either, but he had to be strong for Ino. That would be what Chouji wanted.

Inside, the mood was a little bit lighter than at the graveyard, but still quite depressive. Even Naruto wasn't his bright self. Shikamaru scanned all the people. While the Akimichi clan cried the loudest of everyone, the Hyuuga clan still looked quite stoic. His eyebrow rose when he saw Hinata wasn't with her clan. She was, after all, the sister of Hanabi and heiress of the clan. Eventually he saw her with the rest of the Rookie 9 and team Gai. She was talking with Shino, and a frown plastered her face. Normally Shikamaru isn't a eavesdropper, but his gut feeling told him he should know what they were talking about.

"I know it sounds a bit paranoia, but I truly think there is something wrong about their dead…" Hinata said. Shikamaru came a little closer to hear better what they were talking about, but just before he could hear her continue, she turned to him. "Ah, S-Shikamaru-san!" she stuttered. "Hinata-san, can we talk for a bit?" he asked. "S-sure…" she said, lowering her eyes. "Well then, please follow me." Shikamaru said while he started to walk to the exit of the building. Hinata quickly walked behind him.

Once they were outside, but still beneath the roof of the building, Shikamaru started to talk. "I know there is something wrong, Hinata, so just tell me." Hinata's expression went from timid to very serious. "So you heard." she said. "Well, just a little bit which sounded pretty vague, but enough to know something is troubling your mind." Shikamaru said. Hinata sighed. "Well, you have the right to know. You know since Hanabi is my little sister she doesn't have a seal on her forehead, right?" Shikamaru nodded. "Well, I went to the Hokage and she said the Anbu have researched the crime scene, and that all clues are leading to the Akatsuki." She continued. Shikamaru's eyes widened. "You can't be serious…" he whispered. "In the beginning I was surprised too. But, after a while I started to think. The Akatsuki seek for power, right?" Shikamaru nodded once again. "If they want to have so much power, then why didn't they steal Hanabi's byakugan. The same goes for every other criminal. Even if one didn't want the power, they would still take it, probably to sale it for lots of money." Hinata continued. Shikamaru released the breath he didn't realise he was holding. "So you're saying it's not the Akatsuki or some criminal that killed them?" he asked. "That are my suspicions, yes…" she said while looking downwards with a sad look. "But if it was no criminal, who was it…" he murmured. "To be honest, I have no idea, but I think the Hokage has." Hinata said. In Shikamaru's eyes, she looked very determined. Shikamaru understood immediately what she was trying to say indirectly. "So we have to sneak in the Hokage tower to get the answers of our questions, while there are dozens of Anbu in the tower and we can't afford to get caught? How troublesome…"


End file.
